The hot, dry conditions in many areas have really advanced this year’s crops.

Some pulse producers in the Southwest have already started desiccating, while the heat is turning some crops on their own.

Brent Flaten with Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture says it’s important that producers look at the product timing and use inoculants properly.

He notes desiccants provide that rapid dry down but won’t control perennial weeds, where pre-harvest glyphosate gets the weeds and should not be used as a dry down.

"Where glyphosate is not a desiccant, it's very slow to try to dry down a crop," he said. "So it's not to be used for dry down, for two reasons basically, it doesn't dry down the crop very quickly so it's kind of useless as a desiccant, but also the potential for residue from the havested grain."      

He also says it’s important to use products on registered crops at the proper rate and timing.

"Sask Pulse has a bulletin out as far as some of the maximum residue limits in different countries," Flaten said. "That's an issue, where although we may have it registered for a desiccant here, the maximum residue can differ from country to country."      

He notes the pre-harvest glyphosate is good for Canada thistle and dandelion control but should not be applied on crops that still have some green to it.